In this episode, host Amira Jehia (co-founder of Drip by Drip) speaks with Tsion Bahru, social entrepreneur, fashion designer and founder of MISS.T.CAL Apparel Design and Lily Pads Ethiopia. Together, they explore the complexities of Ethiopia’s fashion and textile sector—from sustainability and water management, to the impact of political instability, the stigma around menstruation, and the everyday challenges faced by women and girls in rural areas. While sharing a positive outlook on the fashion sector, she offers a candid look into the double-edged impact of growth through BRICS and foreign investments – warning that mass production without cultural preservation, fair wages, and ethical safeguards could harm Ethiopia’s rich textile heritage and environmental future. Tsion also shares the story behind the inception of Lily Pads Ethiopia, created after realizing that many women can’t afford disposable pads and that MHM remains a critical challenge in rural regions. Herself and team carefully tailor distribution to areas with WASH infrastructure, ensuring their solution supports—not burdens—the communities they serve.

💧 Key topics discussed:

• 42% of Ethiopia’s population has access to clean drinking water despite abundant natural resources

• 80% of diseases in Ethiopia are linked to unsafe water sources

• The gendered burden of water collection in rural areas and its link to school absenteeism

• How Ethiopia’s removal from AGOA and political shifts have affected its fashion economy

• The creation and impact of Lily Pads: affordable, reusable menstrual pads made from safe, certified materials and distributed through education-focused donation campaigns

Host: 🗣️ Amira Jehia – Co-Founder & Managing Director of Drip by Drip
LinkedIn

Guest: 🗣️ Tsion Bahru – Founder & CEO, MISS.T.CAL Apparel & Lily Pads Ethiopia

Tsion is a social entrepreneur and fashion designer based in Addis Abeba. Her work bridges sustainable fashion, menstrual health, and gender equality. Through MISS.T.CAL, she promotes handmade, ethical Ethiopian textiles, and with with Lily Pads Ethiopia, she tackles menstrual health inequality by providing reusable pads.
LinkedIN | IG: @miss.t.cal | @lillypads.et

🎬 Creative Production: Yared Abraham
🎧 Audio: Philipp Blömeke (Wardrobe Voices)

Supported by:

Drip by Drip: Unveiling Fashion’s Thirsty Truth wird gefördert von Engagement Global, mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) und der Berliner Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit.

Drip By Drip: 

🌍 dripbydrip.org | @dripbydripngo | YouTube | LinkedIn

In unserer neuesten Episode von „We Are Fashion Revolution“ tauchen wir tief in das Thema Inklusion ein und diskutieren, wie Mode mit Fokus auf Reparaturen als kraftvolles Werkzeug zur Förderung einer inklusiven Gesellschaft genutzt werden können. Diese Podcastfolge ist eine Liveaufnahme des Panels: “Inklusion und Reparatur: Warum ist das wichtig?” am 24.04. zur Fashion Revolution Week in Berlin. Sie war Teil des inspirierenden Projektes „Musik und Mode inklusiv“, dass durch Aktion Mensch gefördert wurde und zeigt, wie kreative Zusammenarbeit Barrieren abbauen kann.

Unsere Gäst:innen, Mick Morris Mehnert, Schauspieler und langjähriger Unterstützer des Labels Auf Augenhöhe, Max Gilgenmann von Make-a-Thek und Fashion Revolution Germany, Ulrike Ehrlichmann in ihrer Rolle als Behindertenbeauftragte von Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg und Sarah Keller von Circular Berlin und der Langen Nacht der Textilrettung, teilen ihre Erfahrungen und Visionen. Moderiert wurde das Panel von Arianna Nicoletti von Circular Berlin und dem Again Guide.

Gemeinsam diskutierten unsere Panelist:innen zum Thema, was Inklusion wirklich bedeutet und welche Potenziale inklusive Reparaturen bergen und welche Hürden noch überwunden werden müssen. Unsere Gäst:innen berichten von persönlichen Herausforderungen, Hürden in der Industrie, inklusiven Veranstaltungen und zukünftigen Projekten sowie kommunalen Herausforderungen,  die Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen zusammengebracht haben.

Freut euch auf spannende Einblicke und erfahrt, wie Mode und Musik als Brücken in eine gleichberechtigte Zukunft dienen können. 

Abonniert unseren Kanal, teilt diese Episode und seid dabei, wenn wir Inklusion gestalten! Bis zum nächsten Mal bei „We Are Fashion Revolution“.

Gäst*innen:
Mick Morris Mehnert (Schauspieler)
Max Gilgenmann (Make-a-Thek/ Fashion Revolution Germany e.V.)
Ulrike Ehrlichmann (Behindertenbeauftragte Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg)
Sarah Keller (Circular Berlin/ Langen Nacht der Textilrettung)

Moderation: Arianna Nicoletti (Circular Berlin/ Again Guide)

Audioproduktion: Philipp Blömeke (Wardrobe Voices)

Weiterführende Links:

Handiclapped e.V.

Auf Augenhöhe

Fashion Revolution Germany e.V.

Förderhinweis:

Diese Episode ist Teil der Programmreihe „Musik und Mode inklusiv“ und wird gefördert durch Aktion Mensch.

Für den Inhalt dieser Publikation ist allein Fashion Revolution Germany e.V. verantwortlich. Die hier dargestellten Positionen geben nicht den Standpunkt von Aktion Mensch wieder.

Host Amira Jehia speaks with Sanaa Baxamoosa, Head of Strategy at Hisaar Foundation, about Pakistan’s water crisisand its impact on urban and rural communities, the textile sector, and vulnerable populations.

💧 Key Topics:

• Pakistan’s limited 30-day water storage capacity despite having the world’s largest irrigation system.

• Short-term, geographically limited CSR efforts by textile industries.

• Shifting from large dams to repairing systems and building small storage solutions.

• How climate change and glacial meltthreaten the Indus Basin.

• Poorest communities paying up to 10x more for drinking water.

• Lack of regulation and political will post-Ali Enterprises fire (2012).

• Why focusing only on carbon emissions overlooks Pakistan’s urgent water crisis.

• The Wash for Schools program: improving sanitation and water access in public schools, empowering children as agents of change.

Sanaa also introduces the Panjwani Hisaar Water Institute in Karachi, focusing on water quality testing, data modeling, and ecological remediation.

Host:

🗣️ Amira Jehia – Co-Founder & Managing Director of Drip by Drip
🔗 LinkedIn

Guest:

🗣️ Sanaa Baxamoosa – Head of Strategy, Hisaar Foundation
🔗 LinkedIn | Website | Instagram

Supported by:

„Drip by Drip: Unveiling Fashion’s Thirsty Truth“ is supported by Engagement Global with funds from BMZ and the Berliner Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit.

🎬 Creative Production: Yared Abraham
🎧 Audio Post: Philipp Blömeke (Wardrobe Voices)

🌍 Drip by Drip – Tackling Water Issues in Fashion
🔗 Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | X

In this episode, host Amira Jehia (co-founder of Drip by Drip) speaks with Kaveri from CIVIDEP India, an organization working on labor rights and environmental conditions in the textile industry.

They discuss the water crisis in India, especially its impact on female garment workers who endure poor infrastructure, long commutes for water, and limited sanitation access. 

Kaveri highlights the double burden of factory work and household duties, alongside the severe health consequences for women in the sector.

The conversation also covers:

• Health risks for workers, including menstrual hygiene struggles and the shocking trend of young women opting for hysterectomies to avoid wage loss.

• How climate change worsens labor conditions, from heat stress to water scarcity.

• Why factory workers pay twice—once for public healthcare (via wage deductions) and again for private care due to poor public services.

• India’s water management efforts, from rainwater harvesting to grassroots activism.

• Whether the BRICS alliance could push for stronger worker protections.

Host:

🗣️ Amira Jehia – Co-Founder & Managing Director of Drip by Drip
🔗https://www.linkedin.com/in/amira-jehia-92696426/

Guest:

🗣️ Kaveri  – CIVIDEP India

Kaveri Thimmaiya is a labor rights advocate and researcher at CIVIDEP India, focusing on improving working conditions in India’s garment sector. Based in Bangalore, she works on issues like gender health, labor rights, and water access, advocating for fair wages and safer workplaces.
🔗 https://cividep.org/

X: https://x.com/cividep
YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/Cividep
IG: https://www.instagram.com/cividep/

Supported by:

Drip by Drip: Unveiling Fashion’s Thirsty Truth wird gefördert von Engagement Global, mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) und der Berliner Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit.“

Creative Production: Yared Abraham

Audio Post: Philipp Blömeke

Drip By Drip:

DRIP BY DRIP IS THE WORLD’S FIRST NGO COMMITTED TO TACKLING THE WATER ISSUES IN THE FASHION AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY.

Website: www.dripbydrip.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drip-by-drip/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dripbydripngo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dripbydripngo

X: https://x.com/dripbydripngo

Drip by Drip: Unveiling Fashion’s Thirsty Truth – Episode 7 – CASE STUDY BANGLADESH w/ Ridwan 🇧🇩

In this episode, host Amira Jehia (co-founder of Drip by Drip) speaks with CEO Ridwanul Haque from Agroho, Drip by Drip’s long-standing partner in Bangladesh. 

They delve into the reality behind Bangladesh’s water crisis, the complex challenges in the textile industry post-Rana Plaza, and the ongoing need for better labor rights, enforcement, and sustainable solutions. 

Ridwan also shares insights into gender health initiatives, childcare regulations, and potential climate impacts on garment production. Lastly, they discuss the Utopian scenario of a total halt in garment production and he offers his hopes for Bangladesh’s political future.

Host:  Amira Jehia: Co-Founder & Managing Director of Drip by Drip

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amira-jehia-92696426/

Guest: Ridwanul Haque: CEO of Agroho

https://www.facebook.com/agroho.org/

Supported by:

Drip by Drip: Unveiling Fashion’s Thirsty Truth wird gefördert von Engagement Global, mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) und der Berliner Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit.”

Creative Production: Yared Abraham

Audio Post: Philipp Blömeke

Drip By Drip:

DRIP BY DRIP IS THE WORLD’S FIRST NGO COMMITTED TO TACKLING THE WATER ISSUES IN THE FASHION AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY.

Website: www.dripbydrip.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drip-by-drip/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dripbydripngo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dripbydripngo

X: https://x.com/dripbydripngo